Friday, March 23, 2012

I'm not sure if any one out there that visits my blog has participated in any viral marketing campaign but if you haven't you really should give it a go. As you all know by now, I'm a gamer, and being a gamer it's nice to have some type of interactivity with movies as well, be it in a special features disc (Alien Anthology) or even a game demo (JJ Abrams' Star Trek). However viral marketing is a great way to get into a movie well before the film ever releases in theatres. Take The Dark Knight for example, I played the TDK viral campaign and not only did I get a t-shirt and other swag but I also received pre-screening tickets to see the IMAX version in Orlando.

Now the big viral marketing campaign that is out now would be Prometheus, the highly anticipated prequel to Ridley Scott's Alien. The campaign is in full swing and new hi-res images are being unlocked every day. I received my investor acceptance email a few days ago and all kinds of images and information about the movie were included.

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Weyland Industries Investor Email

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I highly suggest that you get involved in these types of ARG (Alternate Reality Gaming) because it truly does make the movie a more enjoyable experience. Go to Weyland Industries and sign up as an investor in the top right.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

So after a pretty upsetting pre-order cancellation from F.Y.E. I decided to go ahead and forgo the search of another ME3 collector's edition and instead bought the regular game at Gamestop.

Positives:

Imported save games from previous Mass Effect titles.

Increased customizable armor options.

The game actually makes you pick multiple tough decisions that require you to weigh the possibilities.

Day 1 downloadable content. (both a positive and a negative)

Beautiful in-game graphics cut-scenes.

Alot of previous Mass Effect characters brought into the game.

Very emotional storyline linking a ton of characters.

Game does a good job of making the player feel like he/she is actively uniting the galaxy.

Negatives:

Smaller compliment of companions.

Day 1 downloadable content was described as being completed after the game, however YouTube video proves that the character is unlockable on PC without the DLC.

After 2 games of no homosexual characters, several characters introduced and awkwardly forced into the game. (I have no problem with homosexuals, this addition to the game however just felt too forced)

No big final battle cinematic, you spend the entire game recruiting the galaxy and don't even get to see them fight.

Weird Cerberus plot line that doesn't make alot of sense.

Alot less Renegade/Paragon responses.

Jessica Chobot's reporter character also feels forced upon the players and honestly she is horrible at voice acting. (sorry Jessica)

The single player was announced to be a stand alone game on its own, however they failed to mention that you have to play the multiplayer in order to have 100% galactic readiness in the single player game.

Overall I would give Mass Effect 3 a 7/10. Now Bioware has been great in the past with introducing DLC that makes the game feel even more complete, so this rating may change with DLC but honestly I miss the days of old Bioware games in which the games were not molded to accompany all audiences.